Serge Dee
Serge Dee (or Serge Raymond Dee) is a Canadian actor, writer, producer and director. Dee is best known for the roles of Jack Shepherd from Lost, Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and Captain America in Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dee has been married to Canadian actress, writer, producer, director Melanie Rose since 1994. They reside in the town of New Westminster outside of Vancouver, British Columbia and they have three children together. Dee is the younger brother of actor Jonathan L. Dee. Early Life Serge Raymond Dee was born on June 2, 1972, in Truro, Nova Scotia. The third of six children born to Sharon Joyce Dee (née Boyle), a homemaker and George Thomas Dee, a construction engineer/industrialist. His siblings are Jonathan Lindsay (b. 1962), Elizabeth Jean (b. 1969), fraternal twins Michael James and Melissa Ann (b. 1974) and Stephanie Mary (b. 1977). Dee is the only child in the family not to be born in Montreal. Dee was born at 3:37 am, in Truro General Hospital. Dee had come two weeks early, and his mother was visiting family when she went into labor. Dee and his family grew up in the suburbs of Chomedey in Laval and Pointe Claire, where he and his siblings went to the local elementary and high schools. His older brother Jonathan (his senior by ten years) grew famous after appearing in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and moved out of the house at age 15. His youngest sister Stephanie was particularly attached to him, and a routine (where he would put her to bed and read her the atypical bedtime story) developed. On the morning of May 28, 1982, Stephanie was found unconscious and unresponsive. She was declared dead by doctors at Lakeshore Hospital at approximately 9:24 am. This death had a profound effect on Dee for the rest of his life. During the wake, Dee verbally assaulted his older brother Jonathan, whose growing career kept him away from the family. Jonathan had seen very little of his youngest sister, her being born in 1977, the same year he was catapulted to superstardom from Star Wars. Dee had a closer relationship with their sister and he admonished Jonathan for not being there. Serge was the last person to see her alive, and felt a terrible responsibility as a result. Following in his older brother's footsteps, Dee pursued acting and theatre classes at John Abbott College, alongside his younger sister Melissa and younger brother Michael. At college, he met his future wife Melanie Rose and they began dating. A year after his graduation, Dee joined several former classmates (and his siblings) in producing a low-budget horror film named Scary Movie in which a number of teenagers are propelled into a horror film and forced to survive, by using the conventions of horror movie tropes. The film was never sold to a distributor, but it caught the attention of filmmakers in the U.S. and served as the inspiration for brother Michael's later work on Scream. Career Dee was adamant in his career decisions, limiting the amount of help he would receive from his brother Jonathan. Dee needed to achieve success on his own and worked hard to be equal with his brother, or find another path. Later in life Dee would find offers given to his strong resemblance to Jonathan (Michael equally resembles his brothers) but made it a position that he would never assume a role either of his brother ever originated. The only assistance he obtained at the beginning of his career was finding representation. Dee had written several spec-screenplays and thought that trying to sell them would be the best career move for him at that time. Film The first screenplay Dee sold would be for the film Speed which was directed by Jan De Bont and starred Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in 1994. Though a big success, Dee was disappointed that he was passed on by producers to star in his own story. Next he would sell another actioner, a script titled "Simon Says" which was purchased by 20th Century Fox and later adapted to be the third film in the Die Hard series. Again Dee would be unhappy with the changes made to his screenplay, turning an original story into a sequel of an established series. It was after this that Dee seriously contemplated in quitting Hollywood altogether. After getting advice from his brother, he decided he needed to "work harder at understanding the politics of Hollywood." Dee would earn his first acting role in the 1996 film Daylight starring Sylvester Stallone. Dee played the arrogant tycoon Roy Nord who met an untimely end 50 minutes into the movie. Though meant for an older man, Dee convinced Stallone and the producers, that a younger, more arrogant man would work. And his sudden death would have more impact. 1997 proved to be a break-out year in Dee's career. Dee was cast in his first lead role, that of Johnny Rico in the film adaptation of Starship Troopers. After being forced to drop out, Keanu Reeves suggested Dee for the lead in a second film, The Devil's Advocate co-starring Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. While Starship Troopers' satirical take on fascism was lost on most critics and the audience, it still earned a strong cult following. Devil's Advocate would be a major hit for both Dee and Pacino, earning $152,944,660 at the box office. Dee did not appear in either of the direct-to-DVD sequels of Starship Troopers. Dee sold two more scripts that year, one would become the 1999 box-office bomb Chill Factor which he had little input in. Deciding at the time of sale, that the script was sub-par and he sold it only for the money. Years earlier Dee had begun writing a World War II epic inspired by the stories of the Niland brothers and Sullivan brothers. Deciding to save it for his own directorial debut, he opted to leave it off the market. Having given a copy to his older brother to read, it ended up in the hands of Steven Spielberg. Spielberg approached Dee personally about acquiring the rights, but Dee politely declined. Spielberg spent the better part of 1996 trying to convince him and when Spielberg finally decided to give up, Dee invited him to lunch. They discussed the story, Dee's fears of losing the story and then Dee made several requests (the job of on-site writer, a producer's position and the role of Col. Upham) at which time Spielberg said yes to all. The finished film Saving Private Ryan would be a colossal hit for both men and Dee has said the experience was the most valuable collaboration he's ever had before and since. Dee would be nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay and as Best Supporting Actor. Winning for his screenplay and losing to James Coburn (for Affliction) at the 1998 Academy Awards. Dee was cast next in House on Haunted Hill in a supporting role and then gained his third lead, that of adventurer Rick O'Connell in The Mummy. He would return to reprise the role for the first sequel 2001's The Mummy Returns. Due to a busy schedule and having issues with the script, Dee (like his co-star Rachel Weisz) opted to not appear in the final film of the series The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Dee reunited with his Starship Troopers director Paul Verhoeven for 2000's sci-fi thriller Hollow Man which saw Dee playing a villain for the first time, in the role of Sebastian Caine, the titular "Hollow Man". In 2002, he would reunite with Speilberg to film the highly successful Catch Me If You Can, which was filmed in his hometown of Montreal. He would also co-star alongside Anthony Hopkins for the film Red Dragon based on the popular book of the same name. After actor Paul Walker dropped out, Dee replaced him in the movie S.W.A.T.. He would appear with his future MCU co-stars Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Renner. Though starring in the hit TV series Lost, Dee managed to co-star in the popular remake of Dawn of the Dead, alongside Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames. Dee's career and stardom was finally assured when he was cast in the title role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in the acclaimed "Dark Knight" trilogy, directed by Christopher Nolan. His performance and the visual style of the films themselves would make them colossal hits. In 2005, they collaborated on Batman: The Dark Knight. The second film of the series The Dark Knight Falls would shatter box-office records and re-define the superhero genre. His co-star Heath Ledger would die tragically seven months before the release in 2008. The final film of the trilogy, released in 2012, The Dark Knight Rises, was a box-office success, but marred by critics and online criticisms and a gunman attack, which darkened the general atmosphere of the release. Dividing his time between Lost and films, Dee was more hesitant to take roles in films (other than he was contracted for) between 2004 to 2011. Dee turned down an offer to play Superman in Superman Returns, owing to the fact that it was one of his older brother's signature roles and he had no desire to play something he had. His next appearance on screen would be in the MCU when he was cast in the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America in 2011. Signing a multi-picture deal with Marvel Entertainment, he would go on to appear in five of the MCU films; Captain America, 2012's The Avengers, in a cameo in Thor: Dark World, the sequels Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers: Age of Ultron and is scheduled to appear in upcoming films Captain America: Civil War and the two-part The Avengers: Infinity War. Dee has reportedly stated that when his contract is up, he'd be happy to sign a new one due to his enjoyment of working within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. TV In 1993, Dee was a supporting villain in a multi-story arc on the Law & Order series that encompassed 3 episodes on 3 different series in the franchise. Dee (along with his older brother John), played a pair of convicts who go on a killing spree that terrorizes New York City. Dee was killed off in the second part of the three part storyline. Dee participated at the suggestion of his older brother due to the strong physical similarities between the brothers. Dee would later appear on his younger brother's TV show The Amazing Spider-Man, appearing as the character of Kaine, a deranged clone of Peter Parker. Dee would make a total of 34 appearances on the series. Lost (TV Series) Dee's popularity would grow when he was cast on the show Lost, playing the role of Jack Shepard in 2004. Dee at the suggestion of his brother's Lord of the Rings co-star Dominic Monaghan auditioned for the unique new series set on a deserted island. Lost was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Robot Productions, and Grass Skirt Productions. The series was conceived by Lloyd Braun, head of ABC at the time, while he was on vacation in Hawaii during 2003 and thought of a cross between the movie Cast Away and the popular reality show Survivor. J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof would be hired to write and produce the series. Many of the first season roles were a result of the executive producers' liking of various actors. The main character Jack was originally going to die in the pilot, and the role was planned for Michael Keaton. However, ABC executives were adamant that Jack live and Keaton had no interest in starring in the series. Dominic Monaghan who auditioned for the role of Sawyer, but was cast in the role of Charlie, a former rock star, made a call to Jonathan Dee to suggest that his brother might fit in the role of Jack. Dee flew into Los Angeles to speak with producers and make a reading. On the flight home, Lindelof called Dee asking him to accept the part. After discussing the pros and cons of moving to Hawaii for production with his wife, it was decided that he should take the role. Dee remained on the series for all six of its seasons. Upon its conclusion, Dee decided to focus on his film career and signed with Marvel Entertainment, when they expressed interest in him for the role of Captain America in their newly created Marvel Cinematic Universe. Personal Life Dee was born on June 2, 1962, in Truro, Nova Scotia. The third of six children born to Sharon Joyce Dee (née Boyle), a homemaker and George Thomas Dee, a construction engineer/industrialist. His siblings are Jonathan Lindsay (b. 1962), Elizabeth Jean (b. 1969), fraternal twins Michael James and Melissa Ann (b. 1974) and Stephanie Mary (b. 1977). Raised in a mix of Catholic and Protestant household, like his brothers and sister Melissa, he has since become an agnostic and doubts the existence of God. Dee met his wife Melanie Rose in college at the age of 18. They began to date exclusively and married young at the age of 22. Melanie gave birth to their first child, a boy named Thomas George in 1992. Melanie gave birth to twin girls Linda Sharon and Madison Stephanie seven years later in 1999. Linda and Stephanie are named after their deceased aunts, Dee's sister who died in 1982 and Melanie's older sister Linda who died of Breast Cancer in 1993. None of their children have followed them into show business. Politically, Dee is similar to his older brother, more of a conservative than a liberal, with pro-life views and tougher stances on crime and illegal immigration. Dee, likewise, is more left leaning towards certain social issues such as gay marriage and gay rights. However he is strongly opposed to the gun culture mentality (that is especially prevalent in America) and is an advocate for stronger gun control. On occasion he has even revealed that a complete ban on guns "[]...is the logical solution to a society where buying or selling a gun is easier to accomplish than obtaining a license to go fishing." Filmography Film Television